Vox - Comics by the Highlighthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52517/voxv.png2022-06-25T08:30:00-04:00http://www.vox.com/rss/stream/207754192022-06-25T08:30:00-04:002022-06-25T08:30:00-04:00The economic case for abortion rights
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<figcaption>Illustrations by Aubrey Hirsch</figcaption>
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<p>Being able to access abortion is about all kinds of justice — economic justice included.</p> <figure class="e-image">
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<p id="L8kQ69"><em>Aubrey Hirsch is a writer and illustrator in Berkeley, California. She most recently wrote about </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23076305/breastfeeding-costs-baby-formula-shortage"><em>the many, many costs of breastfeeding</em></a><em> for</em> <em>The Highlight. </em></p>
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https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23182150/abortion-rights-economic-justiceAubrey Hirsch2021-12-23T07:40:03-05:002021-12-23T07:40:03-05:00The danger of treating body parts like fast fashion
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fukzd_pBhfU4tX3DOMJ3NHgVYw8=/51x0:1000x712/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70264756/Screen_Shot_2021_12_07_at_6.03.49_PM.0.png" />
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<p>Social media and the availability of new procedures have made our quest for physical perfection endless, setting women and girls up for failure. </p> <div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p id="gs3wrZ">Part of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22827789/welcome-to-the-fads-issue-of-the-highlight"><strong>Fads Issue</strong></a> of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight"><strong>The Highlight</strong></a>, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world.</p>
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<p id="z49p4c"><em>Aubrey Hirsch is a writer and illustrator whose work has appeared in the Nib, the New York Times, the Rumpus, and elsewhere. She’s created comics for the Highlight about </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2020/4/15/21215120/coronavirus-covid-19-friendship-loneliness"><em><strong>adult friendships</strong></em></a> <em>and women leaving the </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22154212/coronavirus-women-covid-19-pandemic-workforce"><em><strong>workforce during the pandemic</strong></em></a><em>.</em> </p>
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https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22810286/plastic-surgery-fads-bbl-lips-fast-fashionAubrey Hirsch2021-09-24T10:50:00-04:002021-09-24T10:50:00-04:00Healing, a saga
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<p>I thought I could check all the boxes and be well again. The universe had other plans.</p> <div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p id="YltkPn">Part of the<a href="https://www.vox.com/e/22439661"> Recovery Issue</a> of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight"><strong>The Highlight</strong></a>, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world.</p>
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<p id="UK6wtt"><em>Aude White is a graphic artist based in Brooklyn whose work has appeared in the New York Times, New York magazine, Outside, </em><a href="http://newyorker.com/"><em>NewYorker.com</em></a><em>, and more. When she’s not drawing, she’s director of communications at Vox Media. </em></p>
<p id="JdVECf"><em>Alanna Okun is deputy editor at The Goods as well as the author of </em><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/the-curse-of-the-boyfriend-sweater-essays-on-crafting/9781250095633">The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater: Essays on Crafting</a><em> and </em><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/knit-a-hat-a-beginner-s-guide-to-knitting/9781419740657">Knit a Hat: A Beginner’s Guide to Knitting</a><em>. She lives in Brooklyn and frequently collaborates with Aude. </em></p>
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<p id="f6qSdd"></p>
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22664601/fibroids-healing-womens-health-recoveryAlanna OkunAude White2021-07-30T08:00:06-04:002021-07-30T08:00:06-04:00Why school lunches feel like they’re frozen in time
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<img alt="An illustration of a school lunch tray with soda, fries, pizza, and half a banana." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n55dCnqxR1E4jFHuaO4DS8wjW74=/375x0:2626x1688/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69602895/lede_copy.0.jpg" />
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<p>The fascinating history behind why students today are still eating square pizzas, crinkle fries, and cartons of milk.</p> <div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p id="eRAU2A">Part of <a href="https://www.vox.com/e/22344648"><strong>The Schools Issue</strong> </a>of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight"><strong>The Highlight</strong></a>, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world.</p>
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<img alt="A tray of lunch foods including square pizza, milk, and crinkle fries: Remember school lunch?" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3IWjuGDbzmdq_WWNtO6JOwo8Ai8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726140/1_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="A cafeteria with students lining up for lunch: The concept probably conjures up images of plastic trays, mystery meats, syrupy fruit, and square pizza. Unhealthy meals, served daily." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9gZtyJnssfidQzCPytJ_0ZcYusk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726464/2.jpeg">
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<img alt="A cafeteria worker in front of a school lunch menu including pizza, fruit and milk: If you haven’t visited an American school cafeteria in a while, you might be surprised to find today’s menus are awfully similar to that quaint stereotype of the school lunch." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5WCceguYvgwQD1c2vw980PCU-js=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726145/3_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="A timeline of school lunches all including pizza drawn on a composition book: But how did school lunch develop into that classic tray of kid cuisine? And why haven’t students’ meals evolved the way other educational trends have? The history of how our school lunches came to be reveals the huge, complicated task of feeding our nation’s children — and why it’s so difficult to make a change." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zjdLejjmRPV2ozYXA-d0_jlVnfY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726146/4_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Late 19th century school setting, admins discussing: American schools first started serving meals at the turn of the 20th century, when education became compulsory. Man 1: “We are in a unique position to provide meals to our children. We shall teach them healthy eating habits!” Man 2: It will help them physically and mentally! Such a simple concept." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s9WKvsiuWacfOR4H9Xw1TUYmmyQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726147/5_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="A bowl of chowder and baked beans: Philadelphia and Boston were the first to offer such programs, with the help of women’s groups, welfare organizations, and home economics students. The response was so positive that the programs expanded. By 1912, there were more than 40 voluntary school lunch programs nationwide." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nREr5vGptfKdKW1wv0TWiyAi1UY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726148/6_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="A farmer, a laborer, and a child. FDR is in the center, observing them then turning to his left. On the right side of the panel, a meeting with a blackboard with “New Deal Ideas” chalked on it: Spurred by the Great Depression, the federal government got involved in the 1930s. Farmer: I have too many crops! Laborer: I’m out of work! Child: I’m hungry! FDR: Hmm … Let’s buy up the surplus crops and employ laborers to cook and serve them in schools! " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M2kEOrZwyEO8m5ARyc6Jo-4zO3c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726150/7_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Row of lunch workers offering out trays, including chipped beef, rice &amp; bacon, puddings, fruit shortcake, scrapple, boiled carrots: By 1941, federally supported school meals were being served in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WpE_eN5YsR3DALUkZ-_1viuJflc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726152/8_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="WWII war scene, where a general is on a field telephone: With pressure from military leaders, who equated healthy kids with strong potential soldiers, Congress passed the National School Lunch Act in 1946. It established a program to provide low-cost or free lunch to qualified students through school subsidies. About 7.1 million children participated in the NSLP that year. General: Tell Washington we need to feed our future soldiers. It’s a matter of national security!" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fdlrKFyKiMhWjYZF8wzfgZueD9A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726154/9_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Back at the school lunch counter, breakfast of oranges, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, milk is being served: From there, federal meal programs expanded. The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 increased subsidies and started a pilot program to offer breakfast, which became permanent in 1975." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l_yrHRofFtiXOYBz3RllVvtWlBQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726155/10_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Array of food items, like cornmeal rolls and breaded meats: Much of the food being served came from the same source as FDR’s New Deal lunches: surplus from farms. Dairy farm with cows being loaded off a trailer: The USDA bought the surplus cows for meat, what was called the “Whole Herd Buyout.” This excess meat and dairy led to more cheeseburgers, tacos, and pizza on school menus. The fat content in school lunches skyrocketed." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FYA1pZoMOzAw-Msel301NHTrxkU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726157/11_12_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Reagan, in meeting with staff, at a table with some food items in front of them: This was happening right as the Reagan administration was looking to cut government spending. In 1981, the school lunch budget was slashed by $1.46 billion. Reagan: Schools can reduce portion sizes, right? Staffer 1: What about nutritional standards? Staffer 2: Does ketchup count as a vegetable? Staffer 3: How about pickle relish? " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6GAqnjWJYjlonz_rJ6h8YZQYNO4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726159/13_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="A tractor trailer pulled up to a school carrying stacks of pre-made heat-and-eat meal boxes. The superintendent is signing for the delivery: The spending cuts also meant fewer children were eligible for free or reduced lunch. To compensate, districts turned to privatized meal solutions, which typically meant cheap, processed foods. Teacher: What is this? Superintendent: It’s what we can afford. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-yOfhUHU7ExeKinmiLga6Wfn10A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726160/14_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="A USDA worker flips through a report. The same superintendent with stacks of processed foods: Childhood obesity rates climbed. In 1990, the government tried implementing new dietary guidelines, but schools already had a supply of high-fat foods that were more cost-effective than nutritious options. USDA: Only 1% of schools are complying with the new guidelines! What happened to teaching healthy eating habits? Superintendent: What’s more important: nutrition, or feeding as many kids as we can? " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zxfrOeaO1HmZXWostApqqjN3shw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726161/15_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="One student is holding a tray with a fast food chicken sandwich on it, another is buying a soda from a vending machine: Convenience also played a role. Fast food suppliers contracted with schools, and vending machines started to appear in their halls and cafeterias. Student: If we don’t like the lunch options, we can buy stuff from here!" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CPzn5kINUcC85TOGxa7LNt1RUrQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726162/16_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="1% milk, veggies, turkey hot dogs: Health and nutrition remained a huge concern. The Obama administration attempted the next big overhaul: the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This allowed for another USDA revision of school dietary standards and funding for free breakfast and lunch in high-poverty communities." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/idh-Dx4GYJD7YS4v3u9gA8b91Xk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726163/17_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="People lined up, protest-style: The new guidelines led to backlash from Republican lawmakers, dairy and fast food lobbyists, and even from the students themselves. Lawmaker: It’s another example of Washington’s regulatory excess! Parent and a lobbyist: Bring back our whole milk! Student: The meals aren’t big enough! I’m hungry again an hour later. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/18QfgpFRo-8hEoXLMNdfh4LbYgw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726164/18_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Children at a lunch table, looking disgustedly at their food: Many districts found that the healthier meals didn’t appeal to every student. Kids would rather throw out the meals than eat food they considered boring or unappetizing. Food Waste Warrior, a project funded by the World Wildlife Fund, estimated in 2019 that total food waste in schools costs as much as $1.7 billion per school year." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d-Xis0i41HRfIzGNA92ayNKOXRw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726165/19_20_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="William J. McCarthy, professor of public health and psychology, University of California Los Angeles, holding up a quinoa salad: Several food service directors, while recognizing waste as a problem, say the answer is to wait it out. Research shows that children may need to be exposed to vegetables 10 to 12 times before they will eat them on their own." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gbTvul5uL94yObPF2oP27F93gLM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726166/21_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Quinoa salad, lentil cutlets, pad Thai, vegetable curry: In Los Angeles County, that meant continuing to serve the vegetarian menus they had introduced as part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2xAbs0fA1Q7Fq9DQMDG_xWTcbxI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726167/22_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="A lunch person serving a slice of whole wheat pizza, panned out to show empty lunch room: When the district started seeing fewer and fewer students eating in their cafeterias, they tried healthier versions of lunch room standards. That didn’t work, either. Lunch person: Whole-wheat pizza, anyone? " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lLfSuxCv-q7Tt2Plmf0j1jrPMgo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726169/23_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Students eating tacos and pizza: So, they went back to serving some familiar items. This was typical of school districts across the country and was made easier by the Trump administration when, in 2017, they rolled back some of the sodium, milk, and whole-grain standards implemented by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gQpPFuKpqp67Fol3vdzjpqUbAGs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726170/24_copy.jpg">
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<img alt="Now it’s 2021. Roughly 30 million children rely on the USDA’s National School Lunch Program. What does their typical school lunch look like? &nbsp;Portion sizes have fluctuated and produce appears more frequently…but we still see some menu mainstays. Over the past century, the goal of the American school lunch hasn’t changed: have nutritious food be a regular part of a child’s day. But it still seems we’re falling short. Until we check all the boxes, some meals are most likely here to stay." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WSbbpJx-zjfoiaU1qYmmN4po9Ts=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22726173/25_27_copy.jpg">
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<p id="y0376O">Sources:</p>
<p id="Gmsdlb"><a href="https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/school-lunch/">Revenge of the Lunch Lady</a>, HuffPo</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><div id="4NaEe1"><div data-anthem-component="aside:10669601"></div></div></div>
<p id="CpstKC"><a href="https://time.com/4496771/school-lunch-history/">An Abbreviated History of School Lunch in America</a>, Time<br><a href="https://blog.advancementcourses.com/infographics/school-lunches-america-infographic/">School Lunch infographic</a>, Advancement Courses</p>
<p id="S9nYMS">Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet, Harvey Levenstein<br><a href="https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-school-lunch/">PBS The History Kitchen: History of School Lunch</a><br><a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jun/07/lorraine-lewandrowski/whole-milk-prohibited-being-offered-new-york-schoo/">Is whole milk illegal in New York?</a>, PolitiFact<br><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/nyregion/healthier-school-lunches-face-student-rejection.html?pagewanted=all">No Appetite for Good-For-You School Lunches</a>, The New York Times<br><a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp">USDA on NSLP</a></p>
<p id="MF0YDv"><em>Ally Shwed is a cartoonist and visual journalist whose work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Nib, and The Intercept. She lives in Belmar, NJ with her cartoonist husband and their two cats.</em></p>
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https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22580700/comic-school-lunch-history-square-pizza-healthyAlly Shwed2021-07-02T08:00:03-04:002021-07-02T08:00:03-04:00The surprisingly political history of K-pop
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<img alt="An illustration of a K-pop act." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ov8XfASgXtiOut-ZlYo9bLDRiow=/81x1897:3034x4112/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69483932/p.6.0.png" />
<figcaption>Sam Nakahira for Vox</figcaption>
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<p>The influence of the “wave” of Korean music and film on global culture was no accident.</p> <div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p id="8czRg2">Part of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22548764/welcome-to-the-gatekeepers-issue-of-the-highlight">The Gatekeepers Issue</a> of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight">The Highlight</a>, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world.</p>
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<img alt="By almost any measurement, the K-pop band BTS is the most popular band in the world. They’ve broken records for sales and audience engagement, topped global and American charts, and spawned a massive fanbase. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kiX9y2b1mweD-eTwms0qR_2Tig4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656419/1.png">
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<img alt="In 2020, the music video for their English-language single “Dynamite” became the first K-pop song in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.&nbsp; " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/P8uHuoTuTQeId1nwPPwAVChsEn0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656420/2.png">
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<img alt="But BTS isn’t alone. K-pop, or Korean music that blends pop, hip-hop, and dance to create enormously infectious entertainment, is exploding. Over the last decade, numerous K-pop bands, or idol groups, have gained massive popularity around the world. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v14fdqP16YThWL7IXiOKBGkzZ3s=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656421/3.png">
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<img alt="In 2019, the Blackpink became the first all-girl K-pop group to headline Coachella. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NVngyLhUxbRScb2ZmZOmVZun1r0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656422/4.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The boy band NCT is launching a US-based reality show to choose the newest members of their group. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6dB_pnCPkmd5fyWIXZQ15-uHw44=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656424/5.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="K-pop’s catchy sound and sharp choreography are increasingly everywhere, and its distinctive production values have deeply influenced the global pop landscape." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/agUW-cgmbeLt8p2LjFRtnTCVDaA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656425/6.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="K-pop is part of Hallyu (“Korean wave”), the term for the ongoing exporting and globalization of Korean entertainment and culture that began in the late 1990s. It has led to the global popularity of&nbsp; everything from idol groups to Korean skincare to video games." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lc8oGk_Oya51EXIC61eY7qhDBi4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656426/7.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Hallyu didn’t arise from nowhere. It began as a deliberate strategy orchestrated by the Korean government in response to a changing global economy — and its rise can be directly tied to Korea’s economic, geopolitical, and cultural role in the 20th century. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YO9rS534xVrNytOGtoK_ZWtk1XI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656428/8.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="After Japan’s occupation of Korea ended in 1945, the Korean War again brought outsiders to the nation, as&nbsp; US military troops were stationed throughout South Korea. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iDT7nl-vO0jnmTi6Xd6eve9T66E=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656429/9.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The origins of K-pop are often attributed to this time, when Korean bands would perform Western-influenced pop music for American soldiers." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fDGDYSMq11wxu24WlA3K1grR5Dg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656431/10.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="After the Korean War, dictator General Park Chunghee —encouraged by the US, who had and still has a military presence in Korea — invested in rapid industrialization of South Korea. Entertainment industries were ignored or censored heavily by the regime." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aZUs8MpYT3EiAckWhS4VN0B427Q=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656432/11.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="After his assassination, Korea began to change during the 1980s and 90s, and with its modernization, to cultivate its cultural exports. Corporations like Samsung began to invest in Korean filmmaking. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PynwZ6cPDiVWuJDL3NeO8W3smUQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656433/12.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Then, in 1994, a South Korean government council published an intriguing report pointing out that one blockbuster — its example was Jurassic Park — could single-handedly equal the sales of over a million Korean-manufactured cars. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rzXOHCTvzBxb-JcsCsepEMcSViI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656435/13.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="This potential cash cow became very important after the devastating 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, when South Korea suddenly faced economic woes, followed by protests of international bailouts." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aP6CvgDnltCsXo9L0Fe2dPY6eEQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656436/14.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="“We must pour our energy into globalizing Korean culture...Tourism, the convention industry, the visual industry, and special cultural commodities are a treasure trove for which a limitless market is awaiting.” -President Kim Dae Jung, in his 1998 Inaugural Address " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RAz3hkl65YNqJvPRWTAiUMlDfYQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656437/15.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="This was the beginning of Hallyu — and K-pop.&nbsp;To help it develop, the South Korean government provided funding and benefits to giant conglomerates to promote movies, entertainment, video games, and music." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Yrkp-lUsOt11GzunTYP8K0oY8DM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22662691/kdramaNEW.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="This government-directed support for pop culture&nbsp; isn’t unique to Korea: Many other nations have taken a similar approach to rebuilding&nbsp; — like Roosevelt’s New Deal in the Depression-era U.S., or Milton Keynes’ postwar reconstruction of Britain. Both programs included arts subsidization as a way of fueling economic growth. By 2018, its entertainment industry was worth an estimated $9.5 billion. But K-pop’s influence isn’t just financial. It’s cultural. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/us298RQOfgrzexHOoez1eN9szHg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656440/17.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="K-pop can be described as a source of Korean soft power, or a country’s ability to wield global power through appeal and attraction rather than through economic and military means." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LyqH62eG7hcfKDzLVCHHnsb4OAU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656441/18.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Hallyu has already found its way into politics. Idols performed at the historic summit between North and South Korean leaders in 2018. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jSHMqrDStcohwDmjBrAkOhrZ3GQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656442/19.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="All this might feel familiar to American pop culture fans. The U.S. also relies heavily on soft power political influence, investing in Hollywood and other forms of entertainment after WWII to export American nationalism globally. It’s one reason why K-pop’s global rise is often used by American pundits and thinkers as a sign of America’s declining cultural dominance. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r9YoC74Jr1rxoqqlH88AcwHUtBM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656448/20.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="But Hallyu’s government origins haven’t stopped Korean entertainers from using their platforms as a voice for the people. In his viral 2012 hit, “Gangnam Style,” entertainer Psy cleverly satirized Korea’s severe income inequality. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BHnbnXKpeIL05y7eyBdOKkmpzJc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656449/21.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="In 2002 and 2004, Psy performed at anti-American protests against the Iraq War and the accidental killing of two South Korean schoolgirls by a US military vehicle stationed in South Korea for which he eventually apologized after gaining fame in the US. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kbQkW6aAfaRntTYh9k1YCbKSZtU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656450/22.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Economic inequality has been a recurring theme for director Bong Joon-ho, director of the 2020 Oscar-winner Parasite. K-pop artists have also been speaking out about anti-Asian hate crimes following the Atlanta attacks." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0LrYs10hJV5WDViArkJVrYQURww=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656451/23.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="But Kpop’s rise has paved the way towards another form of power: the fans themselves. K-pop fans are some of the most dedicated in the world, ensuring their idols dominate streaming and record sales charts. They have proved a force for political organizing as well — during the American 2020 election, K-pop fans claim they registered hundreds of thousands of tickets to a Donald Trump rally and did not show up, severely thinning the crowd. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bToV1zva_VVmx-rWC7FYVeM6cR8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656452/24.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="As the fandom continues to grow into a force of its own, fans are also beginning to reckon with ongoing racism within its ranks — and the issue of cultural appropriation of Black culture." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tKFu65Bp4489oCWPRsQw2KSoO6k=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656453/25.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="As new international fans discover K-pop and Korean culture, Hallyu looks likely to continue to grow. Understanding the roots of the industry is core to understanding the power of the genre’s appeal today." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oLzaiS9Zh_D_oTWU5TMt-KnwM18=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22656454/26.png">
</figure>
<p id="JnSYM1"><em>Sam Nakahira is a comic artist and recent graduate from the Center of Cartoon Studies. Her Twitter is @smnakha and more of her work can be found at </em><a href="http://samnakahira.com/"><em>samnakahira.com</em></a><em>. </em></p>
<p id="S6QZPl"></p>
<div><div id="5c3wXK"><div data-anthem-component="aside:10626378"></div></div></div>
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22532102/bts-kpop-blackpink-south-korea-psySam Nakahira2021-05-20T11:30:00-04:002021-05-20T11:30:00-04:00Who pays?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aWGkPtSP-iJtBtcxAqzbqydSKD8=/382x0:2937x1916/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69265439/header.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Kazimir Lee</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As dating and marriage evolve, so is the way couples are splitting finances.</p> <div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YYgW4HsU995yniG4Y5QuEoQvF0Y=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png">
</figure>
</div>
<p id="U5gRuI">Part of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22424892/the-fairness-issue">The Fairness Issue</a> of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight"><strong>The Highlight</strong></a>, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="nsAHp1">
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bringing up finances in a relationship can feel loaded..." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T7khH-O0mqGKgYVkPEl5SpZmnkI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502877/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_8.44.35_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="like picking a fight, or snooping through your partner’s phone." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KWP8iqZ9x8SZ04hL-o9LuZwYcAs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502879/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_8.44.47_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tVLa0nyZaIn-MR7jdTNrM-aOFwI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22527803/Image_from_iOS__10_.jpg">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="What topics do you consider taboo among friends? Salary, retirement funds, debt, religion, inheritance, etc." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3uiwzbm9Bcx9lejM88PMNdRVTB8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502881/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_8.45.58_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Talking about money is weird, but it has to be done. Money is hugely important if any couple wants to make it in the long term: 41% of divorced Gen X-ers and 29% of boomers said their marriages ended due to finances." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qw4cGchUFUvnqlVMy8HSox7evpM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502890/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_8.51.13_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AcISA573IEsvyXgX28UjLVNg_uU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22528114/Screen_Shot_2021_05_20_at_10.59.59_AM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kVvGk8H8z63RDVMw4dP9V_8gFag=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22528115/Screen_Shot_2021_05_20_at_11.00.09_AM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9QLAOpMJH2PpXppD0J1r8DTE5XQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22528116/Screen_Shot_2021_05_20_at_11.03.19_AM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="For many, however, financial discomfort starts way earlier than that. It starts on the very first date, with the question:" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mVrWxSbHnU-umbZLLzzKR32esLs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22503800/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_8.53.00_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Who pays?" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U3q3sXkyj6Oa8dEg4I62WpZ4PeI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502896/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_8.53.07_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A 2015 survey showed 64% of men “believed that women should contribute” to the date, but 76% felt guilty when taking a woman’s money. A 2016 survey showed 46 % of millennial women admitted to feeling guilt when they did not pay on a date. Who pays&nbsp; — and all the associated guilt —&nbsp; remains the elephant in the room even years into relationships. Take Bryn and Aaron, &nbsp;domestic partners in their early 30s living in Brooklyn. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7E9xVT9w77JuQRbcZFH11ytv9cA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502953/3new.jpeg">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bryn: “At first, we were sticklers, splitting down to the quarter for years. We both weren’t making very much.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/szKxYMGrs7N6nMA1A38SKEkXMpc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502927/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.13.03_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Aaron: “Then I got this job, and coronavirus happened and Bryn lost her job, so we stopped doing that.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pXczxeX1JwjVHyd0FC3s4E_yDVo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502928/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.13.12_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Now Aaron contributes more. Bryn: “I was always very hesitant, because he’s better with money than me. He saves money even when he doesn’t make that much, and I….”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mH10gvRdxa1br8UOICZf4ClesLw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502930/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.13.19_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Aaron: “spend money even when you don’t have it. [laughter]”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lxII6hmQX7asNsz6G7sbnuwylcU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502931/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.13.31_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bryn: “We’re an interracial couple, and I do think Aaron has better financial literacy that was inherited. We were raised in pretty equal upper-middle class households, but I’ve had to learn a lot.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V1tZSgm3RJfXHBZDWd5MJ0J6Xao=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502932/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.13.52_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EwWXZabp_Fl3qwofP5DiPBSuWLo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502935/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.16.20_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Aaron: “I like to say that WE pay the rent out of my salary.” Bryn: “I’ll always sort of feel weird about it, even though I’m fine with it. There’s a stubborn independence that I can’t let go of.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_xcFlOTR1cDxtRxCKRKEZ8lhXU8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502936/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.16.39_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="But they did sort of split on their first date. Bryn: “He paid for the first drinks. I paid for the next drinks, which were not as expensive.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/40IpqBNIqOhw75CZY4AjcUsBzPM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502937/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.16.49_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bryn: “But that’s not my fault! [laughter]”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vlEFtSYaufg6a3sYoLWoVruL9-w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502939/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.17.10_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Other couples prefer less guesswork. Henrika, 35, and Christeta, 49, live in Hong Kong. They just split it all 50/50, and did not get a joint account even after they got married." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yOarnMnx3c6tO7Zmq5kfr2bpA9U=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502940/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.17.20_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Henrika: “I make half her income and I have about four times her savings because I’m investing it. I’m introducing her to financial planning. It’s a work in progress.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2ix00G1CpxLBYvKTk1dJMP_xUpc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502943/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.20.06_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Christeta: “We’re not picky about making sure it’s exactly split for the little things.”&nbsp;Henrika: “But I pay for my snacks at the movies. I’m a snacker. She’s not.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/e2nek5wyu3OpUMP_owGiUorPC0U=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502947/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.20.41_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Image of pouring butter over popcorn at a movie theater." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kaB46kqcuOFlAKVf2GchiYr4IlA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502948/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.20.50_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Melinda and Andrey, both 27, are a polyamorous couple living together in Washington, D.C. They usually pay for themselves, saving receipts and itemizing them at the end of the month to see who owes what." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/z0W_g_5guHLW0QWUG804HoifnaQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502949/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.22.47_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Melinda: “If I want to shop the fanciest grocery store with my money, then I can do that. I don’t want to make you do that.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HwmqKs0S8-_azbMCZ1JBqGa0FfM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502950/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.23.02_PM.png">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Andrey: “If you start making two or three times as much as me, you are more than welcome to pay for all of my stuff. I will take my money and go do other things with it.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XCAqj_Zj1CXTcAIC0kEevGtfyqM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502951/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.23.13_PM.png">
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<img alt="Another couple, Eric, 45, and Tamika, 27, say their age gap has had a huge influence on how they split finances, sometimes in ways that trouble Tamika.&nbsp;Eric: “With her age, just starting out in the career world, she couldn’t afford to live out here by herself. She struggled with it mentally and emotionally.”&nbsp;Tamika: “My mom taught me that it’s important for a woman to be able to take care of herself. That translated to there being no reason for a guy to pay for my stuff.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VnVqap6i3hs1V_Qe5OwUMnQj8Ns=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502956/8new.jpeg">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Eric is living off retirement, but is pursuing a career as a pilot. Tamika is an analyst. They split bills based on their income, so Eric pays more. But Tamika hopes to contribute more soon. Eric: “I don’t expect the traditional role of a homemaker. She doesn’t expect me to be the sole breadwinner.” Tamika: “I don’t think it’s very reasonable to expect a man to be able to afford the four-person-home lifestyle by himself. I don’t think my contribution is very fair.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ukUt2koteeOA0NrORQw8bUJH81I=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502968/9new.jpeg">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Picture of a suburban home." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q7m9t8ZPAZHSJRKOsk6hHE3TL_c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502971/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.40.02_PM.png">
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<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Matthew, 48 and Christine, 34 live in Massachusetts. Their first date at a beer tasting was accidental, so nobody felt the pressure of having to pay for the other. Later, the dynamic was different." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4NVxo8qPUihm3aNrkGCmG86dKHE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502972/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.40.13_PM.png">
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<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Matthew: “I make more money, so I like to pay.” Christine: “I like to split, though.” Matthew: “She’ll offer to pay. Sometimes I’ll let her, and sometimes I don’t. I’m cognizant of the fact that I have more disposable income.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hJEDoBU5yc24pUnztmed-rGBFQA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502975/11new.jpeg">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Matthew is an economic development director, and Christine works at Petco. She moved in with Matthew to save money, and for the safety of her father, who is disabled, during the start of the pandemic. Matthew: “I don’t charge her half of the mortgage. She does Venmo me money every month to cover utilities.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yokiC3MQxSyoSxzAxTTyPFes8hI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502980/12new.jpeg">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Matthew: “I was previously married. She was older than me and made more money than me, so I was really happy to have the joint account. I’ll be perfectly honest with you: Now that the tables have turned, there’s no way that I would want a joint account.” Christine: “It wouldn’t be fair. Maybe that is my upbringing. My mom was kind of like a single mom.&nbsp;My parents divorced when I was very young, so she was paying for everything.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gd_SmgJIUSSPrRF1goxm5qFVWlU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502981/13new.jpeg">
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Every couple’s relationship has its own set of financial obstacles. But there are also ways to navigate them together. Ilyce Glink, a financial journalist and CEO of a financial wellness company, recommends asking questions, educating yourself on the state of your finances, and above all, being honest with your partner." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rf71akTkbFMYprLZzJFzOvZlWj8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502982/14new.jpeg">
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<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Ilyce Glink: “More and more, we’re seeing couples use prenup agreements. We’re seeing couples start to talk about money early in a relationship. And we’re seeing people choose different ways of managing money.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1_agZSJVHicXOQbQAdiVYH_sAwQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502985/15new.jpeg">
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<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Ilyce Glink: “Technology has made it a lot easier for everybody to have access to where that money is located and how it’s invested.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v32RJMMyNfAGUbh02zfcoE_ucT8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502992/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.48.58_PM.png">
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<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Avoiding money problems requires constant vigilance. But these couples’ attempts to figure it all out is a testament to the fact that our understanding of fairness is growing and ever-changing.&nbsp;" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HKKIfkrwxc_l-LCoFazz7-clws4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502994/Screen_Shot_2021_05_09_at_9.49.13_PM.png">
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<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="With clear and open communication, managing finances in a relationship doesn’t have to be intimidating." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2aMk6kTDzIjGPp3g4iE9KQwpprk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22502995/16new.jpeg">
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<p id="hdwkcY"><a href="https://www.vox.com/authors/melinda-fakuade"><em>Melinda Fakuade</em></a><em> is a fellow for The Goods by Vox. She has written for The Cut, The Outline, Rolling Stone, and MEL Magazine, among many other outlets.</em></p>
<p id="AkRtEk"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kazzer.lee/?hl=en"><em>Kazimir Lee</em></a><em> is an immigrant, a parent, and a degenerate. They won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Erotica, and their work has appeared in Slate, the New Inquiry, the Nib, and Oh Joy Sex Toy.</em></p>
<div><div id="268nP6"><div data-anthem-component="aside:10496674"></div></div></div>
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22412304/dating-money-marriage-finances-who-paysMelinda FakuadeKazimir Lee2021-04-23T07:00:00-04:002021-04-23T07:00:00-04:00Are our pets gobbling up the planet?
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bsPUyxlkaihl_JnOwyFprpwkI-E=/375x0:2626x1688/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69115445/LEDE.0.png" />
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<p>From the meat-based meals to kitty litter to plastic poop bags, pet care is unarguably bad for the environment. What can we do about it?</p> <div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p id="U5gRuI">Part of <a href="https://www.vox.com/e/22150607"><strong>The Animals Issue</strong></a> of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight"><strong>The Highlight</strong></a>, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world.</p>
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<img alt="Like seemingly everyone else in 2020, my partner and I got a pandemic puppy." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SAcMnJxv_Se9HawE4cq_XoSv6wU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432101/1.png">
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/37I90tW3Ah-Aaicsb-kbfiUg4IQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432111/2.png">
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<img alt="We named our 2-year-old pooch Tycho for the 16th-century Danish astronomer known for his study of comets and his infamous death by banquet.&nbsp;Our Tycho also loves food: Salmon, dry dog food, bully sticks, duck meat treats. All that food has to go somewhere.&nbsp; Tycho poops 3 to 4 times a day. We dutifully wrap it in little green baggies and dump it in sidewalk trash cans " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/opXIwH40mlRfXydAM_fLcLiXiP8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432113/3.png">
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<img alt="It’s hard to track, but Tycho goes through about 120 poop bags, six bones, and 10 ounces of treats a month, and one 28-pound bag of kibble every 6 weeks.&nbsp; And he’s just one of an estimated 135 million pets&nbsp; in the United States today. That’s a lot of meat, plastic, cardboard, litter, and other pet waste. Like so many others, I’m more concerned about climate change than ever." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m5Pr6sgi0bNc0nvQStmUqrnl5Jc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432117/4.png">
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<img alt="64 percent of Americans say protecting the environment should be a top priority for the government. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NyQ6bbdXor6zLMC9a6zLocuaKI8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432120/5.png">
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<img alt="Many Americans are recycling, reducing our meat and dairy consumption, and switching to hybrid/electric cars.&nbsp; But our pets are gobbling up the planet." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B7cVAw7hTHOtKU6mECwRB6_xMrM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432121/6.png">
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<img alt="Their environmental impact begins with the billions of pounds of meat they eat every year. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OTwGYbpNSjSzbwM0RgPsfDmNoXE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432125/7.png">
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<img alt="It takes about 8 pounds of grain and 400 gallons of water to create a pound of beef. All that consumption takes energy. The meat industry produces about 14.5% of all human-made greenhouse gases globally. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mkCbC_EdhrgJRhyO8k_hVMxqHFs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432126/8.png">
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<img alt="The first canned pet food hit the market in the 1910s as a cheap and convenient option for consumers. Today, cats’ and dogs’ diets are still pre-packaged. The ingredients just look more like our own. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xkZye1rGC0x4vG85vETi3-G2mAs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432127/9.png">
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<img alt="But their little meals add up. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8wlGgY5l1uynq2NVRMcnfWtQZJY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432128/10.png">
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<img alt="As much as a quarter of the environmental impacts of US meat production are tied to pet food, according to UCLA geographer Gregory Okin. That includes the use of land, water, phosphates, pesticides, and fossil fuels." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kh2pdhJKTeyGsvYVirJW_6Uxt2o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432132/11.png">
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<img alt="And our four-legged friends’ consumption contributes to an estimated 64 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, according to Okin’s 2017 calculations. That’s equivalent to 13 million cars." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vyjMjQjORAb4xXecCDGtpsIdm4I=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432133/12.png">
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<img alt="Diet has downstream consequences, too. Pet waste is a major source of bacteria in urban watersheds. It can also lead to algal blooms, which deplete oxygen in the water, killing fish. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tCJdNcezfppaF_ZoNfYgC4KWKC4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432134/13.png">
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<img alt="Proper poop disposal is important. Okin found that pet poop is equivalent to the annual trash of 6.6 million humans. That’s more trash than Maryland produces!" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ldkgzjFKgKxhIHOWMCEC45pqT4g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432137/14.png">
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<img alt="But our options are imperfect. Plastic doggy bags are derived from fossil fuels, while some cat litter requires strip-mining to extract the highly absorbent clay. This practice can lead to soil erosion, habitat destruction, and groundwater contamination." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A09Cky20l_iZydLLXtVeN811qwM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432138/15.png">
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<img alt="“Reducing the rate of dog and cat ownership, perhaps in favor of other pets that offer similar health and emotional benefits, would considerably reduce these impacts,” Okin’s study concluded." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SagO8G7kD0LRCzcqKKDpxyp4KAo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432139/16.png">
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<img alt="But this is asking a lot of pet owners like me.&nbsp; Tycho has made my life so much better. I love watching him run around and cuddling up at night. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q6VT3tXv9rIJy1Uua9wMb1HKm5k=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432141/17.png">
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<img alt="So what can I do to keep Tycho happy while reducing his environmental impact?" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pLhfCynxC4S3XKgz0pCBHsp1v-Y=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432144/18.png">
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<img alt="Cats are what’s called “obligate carnivores.” They must eat meat to survive, which makes modifying their diets almost impossible. Dogs, however, are scavengers. After thousands of years begging beneath our tables, they’ve evolved to eat all kinds of things." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/keYb7VKfpSxcCowQgyD6Dz2H-r4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22433091/19_new.png">
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<img alt="Tycho could feast on the less desirable byproducts of human meat production. He could even go … vegan. Eating less meat helps, too!" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nPw2_jbVhimejy5QCm0SQDOsN0w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432148/20.png">
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<img alt="Plant-based dog food is already available. And industry scientists are refining alternative proteins like koji (a fungus) and insects to make their products even more sustainable." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Od7df7rkm-pKThsutMU4Winapuc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432150/21.png">
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<img alt="When it comes to cleanup, wood shavings and sawdust can offer eco-friendly alternatives to kitty litter. For dogs, it’s a little trickier. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qCoOeR95nqPsxIZP4RB5I8K7CaY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432153/22.png">
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<img alt="If you have a yard, you can create a dedicated compost pile (but please do your research and follow the proper precautions)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gRip5AniF5m8OKJHrntzOcb7u3g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432152/23.png">
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<img alt="Or just flush it down the toilet. The local wastewater processing plant should handle it from there (but check with them before you make this a routine)." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xL8mEImejqa_PzQFFpFfAMoVgKA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432154/24.png">
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<img alt="I don’t know how I would have made it through this pandemic without my hungry puppy. Tycho forced me out into the world, even when it was scary, and showed me the magic in every season, even this long, cold pandemic winter. " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jgcHAYQaKKoWeeg-YfTCgfPdtIM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432155/25.png">
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<img alt="Now we can pay it forward, by making his existence — and mine — a little better for the planet." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wMilRKYiRKW9S6B0_t_gkuAG7DI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22432156/26.png">
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<p id="MvJGgt">Sources:</p>
<ul>
<li id="O1xa9E">
<a href="https://www.avma.org/news/press-releases/where-not-so-wild-things-are-avma-releases-data-top-bottom-states-dog-cat-and">2017-2018 Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook </a>by the American Veterinary Medical Association</li>
<li id="SfhUqG">
<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2019/11/25/u-s-public-views-on-climate-and-energy/">US Public Views on Climate and Energy (October 2019)</a> by Pew Research Center</li>
<li id="n0BEi5">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pets-America-Katherine-C-Grier/dp/0156031760"><em>Pets in America: A History</em></a> by Katherine C. Grier</li>
<li id="GifMSh">
<a href="http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html">Livestock a major threat to environment</a> by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations</li>
<li id="4XNN25">
<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181301">Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats</a> in <em>PLOS One </em>by Gregory S. Okin</li>
<li id="Ho9lO9">
<a href="https://smea.uw.edu/currents/scoop-the-poop-its-your-environmental-doody-pun-intended/">Scoop the poop</a> from the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs </li>
<li id="A7FWvl"><a href="https://www.watercalculator.org/news/articles/beef-king-big-water-footprints/">Water Footprint Calculator</a></li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="PLMJVz">
<p id="jBFjci"><em>Eleanor Cummins is a science writer and frequent contributor to the Highlight. Most recently, she’s written about the </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22291183/skeptic-covid-vaccine-climate-change-denial-election-fraud"><em><strong>new skepticism</strong></em></a><em> and the </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22170168/trump-twitter-social-media-presidency-aoc-biden"><em><strong>Twitter presidency</strong></em></a><em> for Vox.</em></p>
<p id="VrWNr2"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencecomic"><em><strong>Maki Naro</strong></em></a><em> is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and science communicator and the author of seven self-published comic books. He previously illustrated a comic about why there are so few </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/12/10/21003187/stem-nobel-prize-sexism-women-science"><em><strong>women Nobel Prize winners</strong></em></a><em> for Vox.</em></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="kvXQ09">
<div><div id="fBaffE"><div data-anthem-component="aside:10449033"></div></div></div>
<p id="RUSDq1"></p>
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22375369/comic-pets-climate-change-environmentEleanor CumminsMaki Naro2021-03-26T09:30:00-04:002021-03-26T09:30:00-04:00How an unpaid bill can lead to prison
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<img alt="Cartoon of people holding a “help wanted” ad and a paper that says “fired.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/awRCSbFoNKpTpS6wSzDUZ9SZaLQ=/0x570:1461x1666/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68968380/lede.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Joyce Rice</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Debtors’ prison might sound arcane. But this comic explains how it exists under a certain guise in America today.</p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The idea of a debtors’ prison might sound like a cruel relic out of a Charles Dickens novel. Little Dorrit, for instance, is the story of a girl born in prison while her father does time for unpaid debts.&nbsp;" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yZONu-iLFsvft1Bt-0SCTe_VUI4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388702/debtors_working_1_01.jpg">
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<img alt="But many would be surprised to learn that forms of debt imprisonment are in use in America today. While debtors’ prisons don’t officially exist, debt collectors use the court system to jail thousands of debtors each year. Debt is an economic reality. The average American has about $6,000 in credit card debt, and almost a third of Americans have medical debt." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HfTr6tXkDJy7nGAGHw7x2AvZlnc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388703/debtors_working_1_02.jpg">
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<img alt="Debtors’ prisons have long been considered an outmoded punishment. Congress abolished them in 1833, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled people cannot be jailed for debts they cannot repay." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3sPejxevxr_7jWLc_ywk7bRHPyU=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388708/debtors_working_1_03.jpg">
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<img alt="Despite this, imprisoning debtors is common enough that advocates still refer to it as “debtors’ prison.” In Dickens’s day, an unpaid debt was simply a crime. Now, debt leads a more circuitous route to prison." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5HCGTb7H6jjcfInPcEHXkgJ-lq4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388709/debtors_working_1_04.jpg">
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<img alt="The resurgence of debt imprisonment accompanied the rise of American mass incarceration. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson launched a “War on Crime.” The prison population skyrocketed." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cOEWcvBbDDShUlPcV4NUiNHIv2g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388710/debtors_working_2_01.jpg">
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<img alt="Imprisonment is about more than just jail time. In the US, many incarcerated people lose voting rights and job opportunities. Their families are put through extreme duress." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fcdu4OLudBo-TIeUsSVMXi_y13M=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388711/debtors_working_2_02.jpg">
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<img alt="One thing remains the same as in Dickens’s day, though: Once you enter the debt-to-prison pipeline, there is no easy way to escape. The pipeline can open with any unpaid debt. Rent, credit cards, auto loans, medical bills, student loans — any debt will do. The real trouble begins when the debt is sold to a private collection agency. Debt collection is a huge industry. One out of every three American adults is currently being pursued by a debt collector." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dy-ywNs5gP2oWlc1GchiLeRROz4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388714/debtors_working_2_03.jpg">
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<img alt="Collection agencies file millions of lawsuits every year. According to the Federal Trade Commission, debt collection cases make up a majority of many states’ court cases." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zUzunUDyq3RnIRHiyo3k3q9iUi4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388717/debtors_working_2_04.jpg">
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<img alt="These courts are an uneven playing field. Debtors are represented by lawyers in&nbsp;just 2 percent of cases. Debtors often never even receive notice of the case — and miss their court dates." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fGNC2HcImG9H1CrEppupuc88rr8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388719/debtors_working_3_01.jpg">
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<img alt="When a party fails to appear, judges generally grant an automatic default judgment, a total victory for whichever side was in court. Debt collectors win 95 percent of these cases." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jncu3SBPIJdXtfbsbC83SxcssHw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388723/debtors_working_3_02.jpg">
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<img alt="Many debt-collection agencies will then ask the judge to order the debtor to appear at a post-judgment examination. If the debtor misses it, judges may issue an arrest warrant. Forty-four states explicitly authorize these sorts of warrants." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0PkkGrS_20D-JNst9SjzKMDe0PI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388726/debtors_working_3_03.jpg">
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<img alt="Suddenly, an unpaid debt, even something as simple as a $300 medical bill, can put a person in the debt-to-prison pipeline. For thousands of Americans every year, this turns a slight brush with the criminal justice system into jail time." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q1CKtB-vSaAas2Nk7VuH5llHPDE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388728/debtors_working_3_04.jpg">
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<img alt="“Am I really here because I couldn’t pay a $300 doctor’s bill? I was hurt and couldn’t work!”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q1oFxAyCKyyDcR2NYWt3gS_OqzA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388731/debtors_working_3_05.jpg">
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<img alt="Racism plays a huge role in who is imprisoned in America. As legal scholar Michelle Alexander explains, mass incarceration, Jim Crow laws, and slavery are “the three major racialized systems of control adopted in the United States.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PZi9in8_q-gmZBjO5h4WGSbYa2o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388733/debtors_working_3_06.jpg">
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<img alt="Viewed through the lens of race, debtors’ prisons begin to make more sense. The average white family has 10 times more wealth than the average Black family. Poverty is a potent attack vector for criminalizing Black Americans. In impoverished (and often over-policed) communities, these arrest warrants are pervasive. States do not&nbsp;track the numbers, but investigations invariably turn up thousands of these cases. In 2014, Ferguson, Missouri, averaged 3 arrest warrants per household." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oeOgvgFIfA0zK4eBe91KwPpx1lY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388737/debtors_working_4_01.jpg">
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<img alt="Adding insult to injury, many states make their prisoners pay fees: court fees, room-and-board fees, probation fees, parole fees, drug-testing fees. The ability to fight back is virtually nonexistent. The debt continues to pile up." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V_tIMA3SfRX2gnpHqACxa8JJg64=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388740/debtors_working_4_02.jpg">
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<img alt="Private probation companies can be especially predatory. Their business is a volume business: The more probation people have to complete, the more money they make." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TtdDFjgJyKX3OTt34DWpl-FzK5c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388742/debtors_working_4_03.jpg">
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<img alt="Many people wind up back in jail because they cannot afford these fees. “I lost my job because I’m in here again. I am never gonna get ahead.”" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PdnKbwzm3zW61oj7yuqaqJf7PE8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388744/debtors_working_4_04.jpg">
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<img alt="These prison debts are used as a cudgel. Florida currently denies voting rights to almost a million people over unpaid prison fees. California suspended 4.2 million drivers’ licenses over unpaid court debts." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QRjWd-tClJDqsd6UNthjwaVzIfs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388745/debtors_working_4_05.jpg">
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<img alt="Take cash bail. At any given time, approximately 500,000 Americans are in jail awaiting trial. 83% are stuck there because they can’t afford cash bail, often set at exorbitant sums." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4k8rSNVU0A409QWCzOPZf9EPO6w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388748/debtors_working_5_01.jpg">
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<img alt="They remain in jail simply because they can’t pay — much like those in debt." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bsDAAxNbL9HykCnZLuPqKvsnQQo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388750/debtors_working_5_02.jpg">
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<img alt="Americans are conditioned to feel deep shame around debt. Many view debt as a choice. But in a country where three out of four of us die in debt, is it really? When the debt is incurred from an emergency doctor visit, was it really a choice?" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XtMxrbzTz5mmcYTjag6PIdRiJMY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388751/debtors_working_5_03.jpg">
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<img alt="Perhaps the greatest irony of debtors’ prisons is that there is an inverse relationship between time spent in prison and the ability to pay off a debt. If the goal is fewer unpaid debts, jailing people seems like the worst possible solution." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6yI0RvOdx9Q9732cjAvuINhQppw=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388753/debtors_working_5_04.jpg">
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<img alt="So what can the United States do to break the debt cycle? “[T]here seems to be a lack of appreciation for the enormity of the crisis at hand.” -Michelle Alexander" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u7ExmkqDSmTB4swC7p74Wl3MhjI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388754/debtors_working_6_01.jpg">
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<img alt="Prohibit the use of arrest warrants in debt collection cases: Prison should not be a tool in the creditor’s arsenal." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/L4y0gEI10hbGFvGUbmQyS8zGcek=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388756/debtors_working_6_02.jpg">
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<img alt="Eliminate cash bail: Locking someone up is a question of public safety, not the ability to pay an arbitrary sum of money." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/llPCAD_SyQXm-_PGeNpMOFv2x8s=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388758/debtors_working_6_03.jpg">
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<img alt="Too many criminal justice “reformers” actually strengthen prisons by allocating additional funds for reform.Charles Dickens visited several US prisons and was horrified by some of their practices. Nearly two centuries later, Americans are still staring down the same problems. Unwinding the country’s debtors’ prisons is surely part of the solution." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_spk3rjRl7KLZ-RPuMPASCWBShk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22388760/debtors_working_6_04.jpg">
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<p id="hy1sRf">Sources:</p>
<p id="0p6KfJ"><a href="https://www.aclu-ms.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/a_pound_of_flesh_debtcollectionreport.pdf">A Pound of Flesh: The Criminalization of Private Debt, ACLU</a></p>
<p id="M02njH"><a href="https://newjimcrow.com/"><em>The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness</em>, Michelle Alexander</a></p>
<p id="iwMiHz"><a href="https://www.mhpbooks.com/books/debt/"><em>Debt: The First 5,000 Years</em>, David Graeber</a></p>
<p id="ix3Ush"><a href="https://thenewpress.com/books/usual-cruelty"><em>Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System</em>, Alec Karakatsanis</a></p>
<p id="rLlmNs"><a href="https://www.startribune.com/in-jail-for-being-in-debt/95692619/">“In jail for being in debt,” Star Tribune</a></p>
<p id="bbCC8k"><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/when-falling-behind-on-rent-leads-to-jail-time">“When Falling Behind on Rent Leads to Jail Time,” ProPublica</a></p>
<p id="UsRyIh"><a href="https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/02/24/debtors-prisons-then-and-now-faq">“Debtors’ Prisons, Then and Now: FAQ,” The Marshall Project</a></p>
<p id="67kyD3"><a href="http://teenyrobots.com"><em>Joyce Rice</em></a><em> is a cartoonist, news designer, and professor making comics about history, technology, and the future. Her work has appeared in Vox, The Nib, PBS and other outlets.</em></p>
<p id="UcIQno"><a href="http://kevmo.io."><em>Kevin Moore</em></a><em> is a writer, programmer, and progressive activist. He has worked in the debt field for years, first as a federal bankruptcy court law clerk and later as the founding CTO of Upsolve.</em></p>
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22327700/debt-prison-debtors-unpaid-billsJoyce RiceKevin Moore